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Provide an argument that supports the idea that Jem could not have killed Bob Ewell, and another argument to support that idea that Jem could have...

Harper Lee does not explicitly state whether or not Jem killed Bob Ewell during the struggle, but Sheriff Tate does suggest that Arthur "Boo" Radley stabbed and killed Bob Ewell with Bob's own knife. One reason to support the idea that Jem could not have killed Bob is the fact that Jem broke his arm during the attack. In Chapter 28, Scout comments,



"We were nearly to the road when I felt Jem’s hand leave me, felt him jerk backwards to the ground. More scuffling, and there came a dull crunching sound and Jem screamed" (Lee 160).



The crunching sound was Jem's arm breaking. It is hard to imagine that Jem, with a broken arm, was able to retrieve Bob's knife and stab him. Also, Scout mentions that someone was carrying Jem from the scene of the attack which indicates that Jem was incapacitated. When Scout arrives home, she thinks that Jem is dead because he is lying in his bed unconscious. The severity of Jem's injuries and his inability to function indicate that he was not capable of stabbing and killing Bob Ewell.


Another argument could be made that Jem did in fact stab and kill Bob Ewell. At the beginning of the attack, Scout says,



"From somewhere near by came scuffling, kicking sounds, sounds of shoes and flesh scraping dirt and roots. Someone rolled against me and I felt Jem. He was up like lightning and pulling me with him but, though my head and shoulders were free, I was so entangled we didn’t get very far" (Lee 160).



Jem could have possibly deflected Bob's knife and inadvertently stabbed Bob as he was escaping. The fact that Scout mentions that Jem was "up like lighting" indicates that Jem initially defended Bob's attack. Immediately after Jem escapes, Scout feels Jem being thrown to the ground and hears his arm break. Scout also mentions that Bob smelled like stale whiskey which reveals that Bob was drunk during his attack. It is not difficult to image that Jem was able to avoid Bob's knife, strip Bob of his weapon, and stab Bob during the struggle. 

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